Software Users Uses The Big Software Companies make every Day. Users Can Only Use A Software Product When This Product Has Successfully Passed All The Stages Of Testing And Evaluation. 

But an exciting point many users may not be aware of is how this software is made. In other words, when designing software, companies follow a series of principles and rules and based on these rules and instructions, the software is prepared and prepared.

In other words, prominent commercial software is not created from zero point of programming and is built based on software algorithms and methodologies. And in large companies, programmers are required to work in software teams where the number of people in these teams varies according to the model used by an organization.

Accordingly, we decided to introduce you to the software production cycle in this article.

Software production and supply cycle

Before dealing with the principles and methods used for software production, it is better to get familiar with the production cycle in general and see what processes software goes through to reach customers’ hands.

When software is released officially, it goes through a series of development and evolution stages. In the future, when a program needs changes and, for example, features should be added to it or its defects should be fixed, designers and developers hold meetings about applying changes to the software or expanding the capabilities of a program. Figure 1 shows the cycle that software passes before reaching the customer.

The process of making software goes through a total of six stages, the last stage, usually indicated by terms such as Ultimate or Gold, refers to the time when experts review the software within an organization and in the next step by known users. Its defects are fixed, unexpected features are added, and the product is officially released.

Stages of software production and supply 

Pre-Alpha

Although this process may not exist in some companies, some companies release a pre-alpha version before releasing the alpha version of their product. The pre-alpha phase refers to the set of activities that occur during a project before the project enters the testing phase. These activities include requirements analysis, software design, development, and testing. There are various pre-alpha versions of open-source software.

Alpha

The alpha version is the first stage in the software life cycle before the software testing stage. At this point, software designers are tested with techniques such as a white box. Also, the software validation is carried out using the Black Box (which is used to check the inputs entered into a program) and the Gray Box. Another group of testing teams usually does white and gray box processes.

Moving through the black box testing phase within an organization is called alpha. An alpha version can be unstable, have various bugs, or may lose the data it uses. Accessing the alpha version of software externally is usually an unusual process for proprietary software. However, with open-source software, you will usually have access to alpha versions. This access may include the source code of an application.

Beta

The beta version is the phase that is implemented after the alpha phase. The beta phase begins when the software features are complete. You may see errors in the beta phase because the software is not yet full.

Unstable performance, slow software, or data loss are among the problems that are identified and fixed at this stage. In general, the beta phase focuses on the two principles of reducing inconsistency and testing the usability of the software it’s focused on. Releasing a beta version of the software is called release beta. This is the first version a software company releases publicly (for a specific group of known people) and must include the word release beta.

Users who receive this version and review it are called beta testers.

These people are typically customers who contribute to the development of the software, often testing the software without getting paid in exchange for receiving the final version of the product when it’s ready for free or for a small fee. The beta version of the software is reviewed by significant customers as a preview of the product to be launched.

The beta version has all the features of the original version, but there may be some bugs, or it may not perform as well as the final version. Also, some designers call this version, preview version, prototype, technical version, and technical preview.

Software manufacturers sometimes add new features and functions to their products in the beta version before the final version is released. Generally, software manufacturers offer one of two versions: close beta or open beta; Close beta versions are provided to a limited group of available testers, while available beta versions are provided to a larger group of interested individuals and users.

Testers report any bugs they find and often suggest additional features that they feel would help improve the final product.

Microsoft’s approach to offering different versions of Windows 10 to Insider users indicates this. Microsoft provides preview versions of Windows 10 to users before releasing various updates in the form of other builds. Insider users test Windows, identify potential problems and defects, and report them to Microsoft. In the next step, Microsoft will fix the issues until the final version of the update is officially released. Microsoft provides preview versions of Windows 10 to users before releasing further updates in the form of different builds.

Microsoft provides preview versions of Windows 10 to users before releasing further updates in the form of other builds. Insider users test Windows, identify potential problems and defects, and report them to Microsoft. Insider users try Windows, identify potential issues and weaknesses, and report them to Microsoft. In the next step, Microsoft will fix the problems until the final version of the update is officially released. In the next step, Microsoft will fix the issues until the final version of the update is officially released.

However, companies’ approaches to a beta version are not always the same.

The ZDNet website examined this issue in an article and wrote that some companies might market a product in beta form and provide this version to users for many years. Gmail and Google News services are notable examples in this field, which were in beta status for many years despite their widespread use by users.

During those years, Google did not decide to change its status. Of course, this method is beneficial for software developers and designers. This means that when presenting a product’s beta version in the market, the manufacturer is not obligated to provide full support or add certain features to its development. Also, the beta version is sometimes used to specify the release candidate and a demo with a time limit for marketing.

Release candidate 

The word RC (Release Candidate) that you often see on the cover of some discs is a beta version that can become the final version. This version has no more room for big mistakes, and all the product’s functional features are applied.

In this version, software manufacturers get help from their customers to test the software, but it is still not ready for public and official presentation. At this stage, the people selected to test the software will be paid an amount.

This version of the software, called Code Complete, indicates that the design team has agreed that no new source code will be added to the final version of the other product. Of course, there is still the possibility of fixing bugs or changing some features in the original code. For example, software documentation, databases, or regulations may be reviewed again, and changes may occur.

The final version (Release to manufacturing)

The term RTM (Release to Manufacturing), which in some cases is also indicated by the phrase going gold, means that the software product is ready to be delivered to general customers. These customers can be regular users or hardware equipment manufacturers that will use the product.

This version has a digital signature and assures users that the software will be used without problems. More precisely, the manufacturer guarantees its stability.

End-of-life

When software has been released for a long time and is no longer officially supported by the manufacturer, it has reached the end of its life. In such cases, the software producer company informs the users about the lack of official support at least one year before publishing news. Users may still use the discontinued product, but the manufacturer will no longer be responsible for any problems. This also applies to hardware products.